Straight-Set Win Over Northern Colorado

BY ANDRES FOCIL

TULSA, Okla. — The University of Arkansas volleyball team notched a straight-set win over Northern Colorado (25-13, 25-20, 28-26) Saturday morning at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa. The Razorbacks registered a season-high .310 hitting percentage in the win to improve to 6-2 on the season. Junior Meredith Hays led all players with 12 kills while senior Raymariely Santos posted a double-double with 17 assists and 15 digs. For the second-straight match, sophomore Summer Morgan tied her career high with six total blocks. Redshirt freshman Ana Sofia Jusino was also a presence in the miple with four blocks. Offensively, five Razorbacks had at least five kills including Jusino who had eight kills on a .800 hitting percentage (8-0-10), tied for the third-best figure in program history. The Razorbacks return to the court Saturday evening for their final match of the Golden Hurricane Classic, taking on Texas State at 5 p.m. (CT). With its first two results of the weekend, Arkansas is now in position to capture the tournament title. In last night’s tournament opener for Arkansas, the team posted a four-set win over host Tulsa. Arkansas used a strong serving run byHays to establish control of the opening set. Hays registered three aces during the push to give her team an early 10-4 advantage. With their lead cut to two points, the Razorbacks rattled off five in a row to go ahead, 18-11. Arkansas won 12 of the last 14 points to close out the set, using consecutive kills from Hays and senior Hayley Koop to clinch the game. With the score tied at 5-all in the second set, the Razorbacks won five of the next six points to go ahead on the scoreboard. As it did in the opener, Northern Colorado rallied and pulled even at 14-14 to force a timeout from head coach Robert Pulliza. Arkansas responded by winning the next four points to regain the lead. After an ace from senior libero Emily Helm and a UNC service error, the Razorbacks won the set and took a 2-0 match lead. The Razorbacks led by as much as six points in the third set but found themselves tied at 23-all late in the game. Arkansas had two set points before Northern Colorado arrived at a set point of its own, leading 26-25. Arkansas responded with back-to-back kills from Hays and freshman Barbara Dapic to arrive at match point for the third time. Santos teamed up with Morgan for the game- and match-winning block. Dapic& made the first start of her career against the Bears. For more information on Arkansas volleyball, follow @RazorbackVB on Twitter.